The board of directors of the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation (FIBS) met in Tirrenia, Italy on Saturday to discuss the future of Italian Baseball. The most important part of the discussions was the introduction of a new structure for the Italian Baseball League (IBL) and the lower levels.
In general the IBL will be separated from the other baseball leagues without promotion or relegation. Starting in 2010 the IBL will be split into two divisions with eight teams each. The new franchises are going to have one team in each division and Italian players can be optioned between the two teams at any time during the regular season similar to the format in Major League Baseball. Teams can qualify for the IBL purely due to commercial orientation. (more info to follow later this week)
Below the IBL there will be three levels, where relegation and promotion remains the same as before. In Level-A 16 teams will be divided into two pools with eight teams each. In Level-B 32 teams will be split into four pools with eight teams each. And at Level-C all remaining teams will be divided into five macro-areas, each split into pools with up to 10 teams.
Earlier on Saturday the FIBS announced that a new Baseball and Softball facility is planned for the Italian capital Rome. The Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, confirmed that the city has identified an area to build a complex with four fields. An estimated completion date should be known as soon as the necessary archaeological investigations are done.